YOU WANT IT DARKER // NEW ARRIVALS , O .

[freddie]

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— someone gently tugged his shirt. turning his head over his shoulder, he paused at the sight of a little girl. “what?” wordlessly, she raised her arm to show the smallest of scrapes on her arm. it didn’t even need to be treated. “what do you want me to do about it?” her lips formed a pout, waving her arm defiantly. god, what were with kids and feeling this entitled? his lips twitched into a smile, bending down to gently urge her in the opposite direction. “go find mommy.”

he turned to continue to try and “help” that newcomer-- just for the kid to grab onto him again. jesus christ. he wanted to tell the little girl to scram, get lost - but he couldn’t look like a dick in front of most anyone, let alone someone he was trying to pick up.

gwen placed a hand on his shoulder. he looked at her with lips slightly parted. she smiled. “help her. i’ll be fine.” what? she smiled and nodded. “maybe i’ll see you around.” and with that, freddie merely stood on his own. watching her retreating form go further into the lodge. he took a deep breath and looked over towards the kid.

“what’s your problem?”
“he said you would help.” his gaze followed her pointed finger, squinting his eyes to look through the figures.
“who?”
annoyed, she waved her finger around, gesturing wildly. “him! look!” and that was when it felt so obvious. he huffed a short breath, almost out of disbelief. “you’re kidding.” elwin. the bastard was giving him more and more reason each day to just kill him off--

his thoughts were broken when the girl waved her “injured” arm wildly. “can you help me? i think it’s broken.” he stared for a moment. then, pursing his lips out of mild frustration, he ushered for the kid to follow him. with a smile, the little girl followed.

fuck elwin.

/sorry for this post

[EDMUND.]

    And, soon enough, a couple people began to rock up, offering assistance to the new arrivals. People began to disperse, some visibly wounded ones hobbling over towards Elwin at his instruction whilst a couple of NPCs offered to lead them all to the canteen. It was enough space for all of them to huddle up together, keep warm and keep an eye on each other whilst also avoiding an overload of new people in the Lodge itself. Although they seemed innocent, Eddie could never be too sure. And so, he’d keep them all at arms length and away from the safety of the Lodge. It was easy for one or two newcomers to settle into the Lodge but nearing thirty individuals… That would be too many to handle if their intentions were indeed malicious.

Ed’s gaze darted over just as he saw Freddie walking away, hand resting on a woman’s back. Oh, for fuck’s sake; Ed gritted his teeth wordlessly - that man was a bastard. Moments later, a young girl followed, interrupting whatever Freddie was attempting. Good. Ed watched for a moment longer before he looked towards his other cousin, Evelyn, offering to make tea. He nodded slowly, eyes lingering on her for a second before coming the closest he could to expressing his gratitude, ❝ Okay. ❞

As people began to walk to the canteen, Eddie followed behind the group, pausing momentarily to look over his shoulder. Wary and observant as his eyes scanned the treeline just in case. No sign of danger. No sign of warning. Eventually, Ed continued to walk, catching up to the group of people just as they filtered slowly into the canteen. ❝ I want spare blankets and duvets, and all those that are uninjured to help move the chairs and tables aside so you have space to sleep. ❞ He watched wordlessly as people began to follow orders, quiet chatter within the room as Eddie stood deep in thought.

As his eyes searched the countless injuries and scared faces, he quickly sobered to the realization that Flintlock Lodge had a grave issue at hand in the form of a vicious ranching group.

[align=center][div style="width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size: 7px;"][spoiler=tags :: updated 01/07]basics.
⋟ edmund theodore stirling-moray // ed, eddie, moray
⋟ goes by the name edmund moray
⋟ male // he/him
⋟ twenty four // ages real time // born seventh august
⋟ skipper of flintlock lodge // formerly a traveler with his family
⋟ mob boss of the stirling crime family
⋟ joined FL two years ago

appearance.
⋟ faceclaim - finn cole
⋟ voice claim - finn cole
⋟ 5'9ft // stocky, well-built frame
⋟ muted blue eyes and dirty blonde hair
⋟ physical health - 80% // current injuries: stitches on side of head where his head was slammed into ice and a chest infection following a near-drowning experience.
⋟ mental health - 70% // depression and deluded thoughts

personality.
⋟ quiet in nature but confident in himself
⋟ completely fearless, almost foolishly so
⋟ insensitive and callous // cares for very few
⋟ very calm and calculative // always planning in his head
⋟ disciplined and practices good self-control
⋟ very flirtatious and persuasive // overly lustful
⋟ aloof and untrustworthy // jealous and deceitful
⋟ tactful and knows how to get what he wants
⋟ can be very nasty when he wants to be
⋟ but can also be very protective and faithful too
⋟ has a strong set of morals // has the quality of honor

relationships.
⋟ alfred stirling x leonora moray // both deceased
⋟ three older brothers // alfonso, thomas & franklin
⋟ the fifth stirling-moray brother, dominik, was killed
⋟ two younger half-siblings // henry & ida
⋟ bisexual but he stays silent about homosexual activity
⋟ husband to blake moray // cheating on her with multiple people
⋟ father of thomas moray and charlotte moray

interaction.
⋟ storage // playlist // pinterest
⋟ physically: very hard // mentally: hard
⋟ father taught him how to kill at a young age
⋟ insensitive towards injuring or killing others // will do so without hesitation
⋟ mentally, he is slowly becoming undone from stress, grief and guilt
⋟ often found guarding the lodge with a rifle
[/spoiler]

[body.]

[align=center][div style="width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;"][tw graphic description of injuries & death]

For a few seconds, Elwin congratulates himself on a job well done. The pretty woman wanders away, replaced by the melodramatic little girl, shoving her poor, mangled arm in Freddie's face. That's right, he thinks, shit-eating grin clear on his face as Freddie looks his way.

Someone clears their throat, and Elwin realizes he's attracted a crowd. A crowd of beaten-down, bloody folks, staring at him expectantly. Some nurse broken arms in their good hands, some clutch at wounds that are still seeping blood, and in the back, propped up by two bruised strangers, a man who seems to have gotten the worst of it. Elwin's heart starts beating faster. What do I do here?

His eyes are glued to the man in the back. Blood is dripping into the floor beneath him, staining the hands of the ones carrying him red.

"O-Okay," he stammers, pushing through the crowd to reach him. "Put him down." Gently, the man is laid on his back. Elwin immediately kneels beside him, scanning the man's body to find the source of all this blood. It's not hard, given that a giant chunk has been taken both out of the man's shirt and his body.

Elwin is faced with a giant, sucking chest wound. He can see inside him. "Jesus," he mutters, feeling his hands shake. Part of him wants to ask what happened, but the other part of him knows it doesn't matter now. He needs to do something. Come on, think!

"Get me a plastic bag," he orders no one in particular, rifling through a kit in search of tape and bandages. He'd be lying if he said he knows what he's doing. In all reality, he's never faced a wound this bad before—most of his experience comes from dealing with minor scrapes and broken bones, while listening to his Grandpa's infinite stories about awful, fatal injuries. This isn't someone he can stitch up, set straight, and send on his way.

Someone places a crumpled, clear plastic bag in his waiting hands. Elwin hastily smacks it over the wound, scrambling to tape all four corners down. He knows he shouldn't rush, but part of him is scared this man will just up and die in his arms if he isn't quick enough.

He sits back on his haunches, watching the plastic bag rise and fall where the gaping hole is. One hand rests on the man's chest, counting the shaky rise and fall, eyes turned to worried, hurt onlookers. They don't seem to have too much faith in him. He doesn't know where to go next from here, but he assumes there's not much else to do for the time being. "Keep an eye on him," he instructs someone nearby.

"That's it? A plastic bag?"

Elwin has already turned his back to tend to the next worst-off. He's barely been away for ten minutes before he hears a shout. “Hey,” someone calls. “He can’t breathe!”

What? He covered the wound, didn’t he? He should be fine for the time being, right? Elwin glances over his shoulder to see several people crowding around the man he had just treated. He groans, gets to his feet, and quite rudely shoves someone out of the way to kneel by the man’s side once again. This time, to his horror, the left side of the man’s chest has become distended. What is that? Blood? Air? Elwin doesn’t get how this happened. He covered the wound …

The man’s breaths become shorter and shorter. Both of them are becoming increasingly panicked. All he can hear are sirens going off in his head, frantically searching the man’s chest to try and find his mistake. Where did he go wrong?

He wastes too much time.

“... he’s not breathing.”

Elwin stares at the makeshift dressing covering the dead man’s wound. It’s only then that he realizes what his mistake was.

[EDMUND.]

    Running away was not safety; it was an eventual death. If nobody knew that one was alive, it was fair to assume that they were not.

A bitter chill ran down Edmund's spine as he stood out in the cold, one gloved hand resting in his jacket pocket and the other clasped gently on the end of a cigarette. He inhaled a slow plume of smoke, chin tipping up slowly as the quiet man fluttered his eyelids shut, exhaling into the sky. Whilst he appeared so at ease, it was impossible to look passed his unreadable expression to reveal the turmoil within. He blinked his eyes open, gazing at the clear and beautiful blue sky and trying to settle a racing heart.

But, he supposed that he knew how to survive the chaos, even whilst it was so internalized that is appeared absent entirely. Slightly bunched up brows searched the single hue of blue across the sky above before he straightened his line of vision to gaze back out down the mountain. And, that was when he saw them. In their hordes, their tiny silhouettes lower down the mountain barely catching Edmund's eyes, but there were enough people for Ed to immediately be on his guard. He watched cautiously, tossing his cigarette to the ground and crunching it into the snow with his shoe just as the silhouette at the front seemed to notice Eddie.

The figure began to wave wildly with both hands, inaudible calling up the mountain making what they were trying to say impossible for Eddie to hear. Instead, in one careful movement, Eddie moved his walkie talkie to his lips. ❝ I'd like as many of you as possible to make your way out the Lodge. There's around two dozen people walking up to front entrance as I speak - ❞ Eddie uttered into the device before returning it hooked onto his belt loop. And then came the wait.

Minutes felt like years as Ed stood wordlessly, eyes unable to break away from the group trudging uphill to the slowly growing group of Flintlockers until they were near enough for a conversation. ❝ We don't mean to intrude! ❞ The man who'd lead the group up the mountain was the first to speak, hands raising submissively. Ed cocked his head curiously, unreadable expression on his face as he silently urged the man to continue talking. ❝ We didn't know where else to go... You see... You see! ❞ The man gestured to the lands a far distance away.

❝ We are neighbors... Sorta! ❞ Oh, where was this going? ❝ A small group of farmers just doing our best to survive I imagine you understand the struggle of trying to provide for everybody. ❞ ❝ Okay - ❞ Ed was blunt, waiting expectantly for the punchline. He was not expecting the next words to come out of the man's mouth. ❝ That Bluestem Prairie group, in Graveyard! They came and suddenly they were all guns blazing, and- ❞

❝ Shut the fuck up, Craig! ❞ A gruff voice barked as another man, who'd seemingly only just arrived, snaked through the group before standing in front of Craig, facing Eddie. ❝ Sorry- I'm Dale. We come from the prairie; I'm sure you've passed through there at some point. You see, we were attacked viciously by Bluestem Prairie. They killed a whole [i]heap of our people, stole everything that we own; they probably would've stolen the clothes off our backs if given half the chance! We have nothing... I beg of you, please allow for us to stay temporarily, even if it was only for a day or two! ❞[/i] Ed was silent, eyes shifting across the man's features before he questioned, ❝ Any weapons on any of you? ❞

Men and women began removing all weapons, tossing them into the snow, Ed's careful eyes watching before Dale continued desperately, ❝ Thank you, Mister, thank you! We have women and children who are so cold, and we have so many wounded people... ❞ Ed took a step aside, turning to glance between Flintlockers and this other group before gesturing towards the Flintlockers, ❝ Would any of you mind setting up the canteen for our new guests and get them all inside in the warm? I'd like some people to make some tea for the new arrivals to warm them up, and a couple of you to bring the first aid kits out to treat the injured. ❞

Several of the newcomers began to wander closer, eyes desperate and afraid and bodies trembling uncontrollably from the lack of suitable clothing, whilst Dale clasped his hands together mercifully, ❝ Thank you so much - Your group was our last hope! We will be out of your hair as soon as we have recovered enough to search for a new home, and that is a promise. ❞ Slowly, Eddie shook his head before glancing away. ❝ S'fine. ❞ He paused momentarily before adding as an afterthought, the rage within him only evident from the fire in his eyes. ❝ And, I will be taking a visit to Bluestem Prairie. I think I'd like to have a stern talk with Brock Van Den Bergh. ❞ He slowly flitted his gaze up to glance at the sky again, oblivious to the tiny twitch of a wicked smile on Dale's lips.

// ohh shit sorry for the waffle. most of that is literally just dialogue but tl;dr essentially a group from the prairie is seeking refuge after bluestem prairie attacked them and chased them out of the prairie entirely.

[align=center][div style="width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size: 7px;"][spoiler=tags :: updated 01/07]basics.
⋟ edmund theodore stirling-moray // ed, eddie, moray
⋟ goes by the name edmund moray
⋟ male // he/him
⋟ twenty four // ages real time // born seventh august
⋟ skipper of flintlock lodge // formerly a traveler with his family
⋟ mob boss of the stirling crime family
⋟ joined FL two years ago

appearance.
⋟ faceclaim - finn cole
⋟ voice claim - finn cole
⋟ 5'9ft // stocky, well-built frame
⋟ muted blue eyes and dirty blonde hair
⋟ physical health - 80% // current injuries: stitches on side of head where his head was slammed into ice and a chest infection following a near-drowning experience.
⋟ mental health - 70% // depression and deluded thoughts

personality.
⋟ quiet in nature but confident in himself
⋟ completely fearless, almost foolishly so
⋟ insensitive and callous // cares for very few
⋟ very calm and calculative // always planning in his head
⋟ disciplined and practices good self-control
⋟ very flirtatious and persuasive // overly lustful
⋟ aloof and untrustworthy // jealous and deceitful
⋟ tactful and knows how to get what he wants
⋟ can be very nasty when he wants to be
⋟ but can also be very protective and faithful too
⋟ has a strong set of morals // has the quality of honor

relationships.
⋟ alfred stirling x leonora moray // both deceased
⋟ three older brothers // alfonso, thomas & franklin
⋟ the fifth stirling-moray brother, dominik, was killed
⋟ two younger half-siblings // henry & ida
⋟ bisexual but he stays silent about homosexual activity
⋟ husband to blake moray // cheating on her with multiple people
⋟ father of thomas moray and charlotte moray

interaction.
⋟ storage // playlist // pinterest
⋟ physically: very hard // mentally: hard
⋟ father taught him how to kill at a young age
⋟ insensitive towards injuring or killing others // will do so without hesitation
⋟ mentally, he is slowly becoming undone from stress, grief and guilt
⋟ often found guarding the lodge with a rifle
[/spoiler]

[freddie]

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— freddie made a habit of stealing a couch in the living room. he looked relaxed in his usual spot splayed across the cushions, hands on his abdomen, feet perched up on the arm of the furniture. one of his thumbs absently ran over the back of his hand, eyes closed. if anyone tried to make him get up, they would certainly be a dead man. nobody could mess with fred’s relaxation and get away with it. nobody had the guts to, either--

except for edmund. of course it had to be edmund.

the walkie talkie made him peek an eye opening, listening absently to the message. eddie made the announcement into the walkie talkie that he needed as many people outside. two dozen people were walking to the front entrance.. his eyes slowly wandered around the living room, watching as people parked up before setting in action. he tried not to grumble as he slowly sat up, rubbed at his face, and then stood up. he grabbed his gun from the coffee table, only looking alert once he exited the lodge.

the entire interaction went past freddie as he still tried to wake himself from his afternoon rest-- all he could focus on was glancing through the group, at all the unfamiliar men and women.. he retreated back into the lodge momentarily, returning with a blanket. he ignored the interactions between this dale guy and edmund, instead choosing to wander over towards one of the prettier faces. “here,” he said with a warm smile, putting the blanket carefully over her shoulders. she clung to it tightly, her body shivering in the cold. “let's get you inside.”

the slow smile on the woman’s face as eyes met his was genuine and real, as she uttered a quiet, “thank you. you’re too kind.” fred shrugged as they walked, but made no effort to argue with the fact. granted, his intentions weren’t entirely genuine. the man merely saw an opportunity and he took it; he didn’t seem fazed with the idea of using this horrible, tragic event to get laid.

if it took playing the naive, sweet boy to get to his desired end goal- then he was definitely willing to go the distance, here. his hand lingered on her back as she walked, shaking hands feebly holding onto the blanket. she flinched, briefly hunching over. eyes wandered over her figure, looking at the blood on her tattered shirt. “you’re injured,” he stated, looking over at her before gently urging her forward. “come on. i’ll get one of those med kits for you once we’re inside.”

after a moment, she continued forward. he took the moment to glance back at the group again, looking over their pitiful state. jesus.. bluestem certainly did a number on them… his gaze wandered towards eddie’s silently, getting only a glimpse at the fire in his eyes before walking back into the lodge. “i don’t think i got your name?”
he hadn’t realized his smile had faltered momentarily. he pressed his lips together, forming a tight-lipped smile. ”freddie."
she smiled back. "gwen."

gaze lingering momentarily, he turned his gaze away before he headed further into the lodge. "let me get that med kit.”

// sorry for fred being a ,,, sleazy mess ASDF
but i'm here for the tea

[body.]

[align=center][div style="width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;"]Edmund's grating voice over the walkie-talkie had also woken Elwin up from a particularly good nap. Well, you can't really call being passed out on the floor in the hall a nap, but damn if he doesn't wake up feeling refreshed.

Feeling like a zombie, he gets to his feet (or spends five minutes trying) and stumbles his way outside, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. Two dozen people doesn't seem like that much by the way Edmund phrased it... at least not until he's faced with a giant crowd of injured people. That sure wakes him up. Sheesh, what are they going to do with so many people? Does Flintlock even have room?

Elwin runs a hand through his hair and heaves a loud, shaky sigh. Oh, boy. He knows he should get moving, especially with his newly-assigned role of medic, but... wow. There's so many people in one place. He doesn't think this many people even lived in his old village.

After a solid minute or two of staring, his body starts to move on its own. On his way towards the crowd, he nearly ends up crashing into Freddie, who is leading some soft-featured woman into the lodge behind him. Why just that one? Maybe he knows her. Either way, he'd rather take on chunks of them rather than pick them out one by one. As long as they form a nice, straight line.

"Alright," he calls in an uncertain voice. "If any of you got somethin' that's broken, outta place, or bleeding, follow me inside and I'll ... help you, I guess." Flintlock is very different compared to the old village infirmary. He'll just have to figure it out as he goes.

A young girl, about five or six, comes up to him and presents a small scrape on her arm. It's barely even bleeding. Elwin can't help but scoff and roll his eyes. "Not what I meant," he says to the girl, but she just shoves her arm further into his face. "Just put pressure on it."

What does she expect him to do, kiss it better? She's probably at the very bottom of his list of priorities. He can see other worse injuries that demand immediate attention, but when he tries to step away, the little girl grabs the hem of his shirt and points again at her scrape.

"You're fine," he says, forcibly detaching the girl's hand from his shirt. Then, glancing back at Freddie's retreating form, a lightbulb goes off over his head. Kneeling to be eye-level with the girl, he whispers lowly to her, "See that guy? He'll take care of that scratch for you." And with that, he whirls her around by the shoulders, and sends her after Freddie and his female counterpart.

Patting himself on the back for a job well done, he turns to the few others that have begun to gather around him, looking just as unsure as he had sounded earlier. Shit, he thinks, heartbeat picking up pace, now how am I going to deal with these guys?

[EVELYN STIRLING]

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